10/24/2009

The 2009-2010 Pittsburgh Penguins are the first team in NHL history to win 9 of the first 10 games after winning the Stanley Cup the prior year. The Penguins have done this by outscored their opponents 39-18 thus far.

Beating out Gretsky and Lemieux is a pretty big feat for a couple of 20 somethings... (pic courtesy of ESPN)

The Pens faced a determined Senators squad. It was their third game of a 5 game road trip. After Ottawa struck first, TK took it upon himself to score two goals. Neither Crosby nor Malkin got on the scoresheet, but the coveted Sesame Street line showed the depth and determination of an entire Penguin squad.

I had the pleasure of attending this game. The Penguins got out to an early lead with a couple of goals from Geno and bizarro-Geno, Mike Rupp. Holding on to the lead through midway in the third the Canes struck back and tied the game and forced OT, and eventually a SO. Sid came to the rescue and bailed the Penguins out of a loss in Raleigh.

Coming off of a 5 game road trip with a record of 5-0 the Penguins looked to extend their streak. And extend they did. Beating the Leafs 4-1 with wearing the dreaded baby-blue. The Two-Headed Monster were responsible for 3 of the 4 points, all assists.

A total onslaught against a fairly decent Blues team, the Pens outshot the Blues 20-3 in the first period. The game was as lopsided as I've ever seen. Cooke, Letang, Kennedy, Malkin, and Fedotenko were all responsible for the goals. Only downside to this tremendous effort was losing our Sarge 4-6 weeks to a broken hand.

MAF gets his second rest of the season. The Penguins started out as sluggish as they did against the Coytotes. Seemed they wasted all their energy against the Blues. Clearly the new defensive pairing affected even the offense. Nevertheless after the first two goals, Brent Johnson stood strong in net through the 2nd, 3rd, OT, and Shootout and allowed Crosby to net three goals (one a shootout) in his 300th game.